


a casual affair that could go anywhere

by girlsarewolves



Series: exchanges [35]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Assassins & Hitmen, Blood and Injury, Canon Jewish Character, Canon-Typical Violence, Chine White and Cooper Seldon, Comfort Sex, F/M, Guilt, Gun Violence, Hurt/Comfort, I know nothing about computers and hacking, Implied Sexual Content, Older Man/Younger Woman, Open Ending, Trust, also past Felicity/Cooper, cameos from other characters - Freeform, more like very clearly stated sexual content that isn't described at all, not quite a cliffhanger, starts out as a coffee shop au and takes a hard right halfway through
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-09
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:40:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 9,054
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25597417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/girlsarewolves/pseuds/girlsarewolves
Summary: In which a meet cute at the local coffee shop leads to a lot more danger and intrigue than Felicity was expecting. Like, a lot more.
Relationships: Felicity Smoak/Slade Wilson
Series: exchanges [35]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1269893
Comments: 2
Kudos: 14
Collections: Rare Pairs Exchange 2020





	a casual affair that could go anywhere

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Meilan_Firaga](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meilan_Firaga/gifts).



> So I was super excited to have an excuse to write this pairing when I saw your requests! Since you mentioned you'd seen at least some of season three, I did include some of Felicity's backstory that was established in that season and expanded on in season four, but I think it works fine if you aren't familiar with those elements of canon. Otherwise, this is a no superhero/vigilante au of Arrowverse. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Oh, that was good coffee. Felicity needed the good shit today. Yesterday’s shift had been a doozy - a marathon of ‘I shouldn’t be allowed anywhere near any kind of technology or machinery’ callers that made her mom look like a computer whiz. Some days she only had one or two, but the technologically impaired had been in full force yesterday for some reason.

Why did Felicity work in IT again? Oh, right. Paid the bills, was something she excelled at, kept her out of trouble. That was why. Mm, back to that good coffee.

It wasn’t that she hated IT. Sometimes she genuinely liked it. But she was selling herself short and dealing with people that made her brain bleed out her ears. She tried not to judge but - oh, who was she kidding. She definitely judged. 

That was half the fun of sitting in the local cafe - because no way was she about to be caught in Starbucks, drinking their overpriced coffee, using their passable WiFi, and checking off practically every single box on the hipster checklist. What was she thinking about again? Oh, right - judging the people passing through the coffee shop or hanging out to freeload the WiFi so they didn’t lose all their data for the month. Not that she had any room to judge, really, since she was doing the same. Though at least she used a VPN.

Part of her was tempted to see if she could take a peak at all the others hanging out in the cafe. But Felicity was a good girl these days, who didn’t go prying into other people’s computers and files, or trying to expose government secrets, or any kind of cyber crimes like that.

So instead she judged people solely on her assumptions of them which were based entirely on what was right there in plain sight.

_ I need new hobbies. _

Technically she had a couple of hours to kill before her shift started. She could go for a walk in the park, take a stroll through Star City Museum’s new Native American History exhibit, or read a book. Instead she was window shopping on Amazon, watching the other losers with no lives like her, and downing some liquid energy before another mind-numbing day at the office.

But it was better than waiting - like a creepy stalker girl - for a silver fox to show up for his daily espresso before settling down at the back corner table by the window with his laptop while she pretended she wasn’t drooling over him. Which she absolutely, one hundred percent was not doing. At all. Nope. Definitely not.

Okay maybe she was.

And maybe she had been for the past, oh, week? Week and a half?

_ So, not only do I need new - and better - hobbies, I need to get laid. Badly. _

Preferably by that silver fox.

_ Bad Felicity.  _

Really though, anyone who saw him - or heard him, with that thick, deep, gravely voice and the rich Australian accent - could definitely not blame her. He was older than she normally went for, but was absolutely rocking the salt and pepper look with his thick, still mostly black hair, and that perfectly trimmed goatee. And then there was the incredibly mysterious and dangerous appeal of the eyepatch. Like a businessman pirate. Yum.

She’d seen him, sitting at the window, from across the street waiting in line at Starbucks. The next day she made the coffee shop switch. Which actually had worked out for her, because their coffee was a touch cheaper but definitely better quality, so thanks for that, Silver Fox.

As if conjured up by her lustful thoughts and sexy memories, the chime of the doorbell dragged her out of her own head just in time to see Silver Fox entered the building. Okay so he was more swarthy than silver, but old enough that it might be a little too creepy if she called him Daddy. 

Not that she had ever fantasized about that or anything.

What if she took just a little peek into his laptop, just snooped around enough to find out his name at least? No. Bad Felicity. She wasn’t going to stoop that low. She was already a creepy stalker girl. She was not about to turn into a full blown privacy invading stalker girl. Instead she’d just keep thinking of sexy, mysterious names that would suit him.

Silver Fox moved with confidence and grace. Her mom would say ‘like a predator’ - but a tiger or wolf, not the kind Chris Hanson would chastise on television. Honestly, Felicity would have to agree. He had to be a ladykiller. And she wouldn’t mind being next on that kill list. 

_ Holy shit, you sound like the pathetic protagonist from a bodice ripper novel. Get a grip. Hook up with someone. Though maybe this is less pathetic than lusting after your playboy boss? _

Felicity did not want to think about that particular phase. Oof, now that was embarrassing. 

Back to the - not much better but maybe less embarrassing - present. In a local cafe, spying on a random stranger. Who could blame her though? She had very fine taste.

Felicity subtly watched Silver Fox over the rim of her cup as she sipped on the coffee, eyes following him as he ordered, paid, and moved down the line to wait. She took in how good he looked in those tight jeans, dark shirt, and leather jacket. She appreciated the hint of a five o’clock shadow on his jaw that bled into the goatee. His hair was a little messier today - honestly the scruffier, more casual look suited him just as well as the smooth and refined businessman look. And of course, the eyepatch. Felicity immediately regressed to her teenage pirate phase every time she saw him, and all the times she snuck read trashy romance novels where busty women were ravaged by dangerous buccaneers.

Silver Fox was casually leaning against the counter as he waited. His gaze never really ventured around - unlike a certain someone, he didn’t seem to be the nosy sort. Except today he was looking around some. And then looking right at her.

_ Oh, shit, busted! _

The lukewarm coffee almost came rushing out her nose as she started and tried desperately to pretend she wasn’t unabashedly ogling him. 

Maybe she’d just get to work over an hour early today. That was normal, right? Or she could stop in the bookstore on the way over, hide in the back, wallow in shame for a few, then head to work. She had options.

Head buried behind her laptop screen as she tried to plot out the least embarrassing exit that wouldn’t make it super obvious he had definitely caught her staring when he caught her staring, Felicity didn’t notice someone standing right across from her until a familiar, much closer than it had even been before, voice inquire, “This seat taken?”

“Uh,” Felicity looked up at the face she knew was waiting for an answer and felt her cheeks burn even more. “No?”

“Do you mind if I join you? My usual spot is already claimed at the moment,” Silver Fox explained, gesturing to the corner table where, yep, a couple of girls were sitting with their orders, laughing and whispering amongst themselves while also texting, and generally keeping their dignity. Unlike her, currently. There was a twinkle in his eye though that went perfectly with the taunting smile on his - even sexier now that she could see it up close and personal - face.

“Sure,” she somehow managed to croak out, throat still sore from choking on her coffee a moment ago. Did she have coffee stains on her shirt? Was her nose as red as it felt? Was her whole  _ face _ as red as it felt? Damn, this was not how she wanted their first official meeting to go. Felicity downed the rest of her lukewarm drink and cleared her throat. “Though, I mean, there are other empty tables. Just saying. Not that I mind! I just - and I have to leave soon anyway - and -”

“The name’s Slade Wilson.” Oh. Yeah, that was a way better name than any of the ones she’d imagined. He settled down in the seat across from her, still smiling at her - Felicity had never actually seen someone with a smile worthy of being called a Cheshire grin until then. “And there are, but I thought it was time to introduce myself after almost two weeks of being spied on. Though I must admit, I’m normally not the subject of so much attention from someone quite so attractive.” 

Oh, he was smooth. Like, Smooth with a capital S kind of smooth. Sauve, even. 

Felicity swallowed and floundered for a moment. How hot could her cheeks get? Did she look like a tomato yet? “I’m so, so sorry. I wasn’t trying to be rude, I swear. Or invasive. Or creepy.”

Silver Fox - Slade - laughed at that. A throaty, deep chuckle that made Felicity’s spine tingle. So she could still appreciate him even through the mortification, okay then. “Rude, maybe. Invasive? Perhaps, but not maliciously so. Creepy, though, now that one we can toss right out. Truly, I’m quite honored by the attention. It’s been a while since someone outside of my old line of work paid me much mind, and in my old job, well, you didn’t want to get attention there.”

“What, were you like a spy or something?” Immediately Felicity closed her eyes and grimaced, inwardly cursing herself. Did she have to be so nosy? Though to be fair, he was offering her a lot of information.

Slade shrugged and sipped his espresso. “Maybe. But if I told you, I’d have to kill you, and I only just met you. Would be a shame to take out such a charming, young woman.” His one eye winked at her, and Felicity’s insides turned to mush. “My apologies, couldn’t resist. Private investigator, actually. In that line of work, you learn to work hard at not being noticed - and knowing when you are.”

“Like, when a random girl at the coffee shop keeps eyeing you,” Felicity added on, feeling more mortified every second. And here she thought she had been pretty good at being subtle. Maybe she was just too used to not being noticed herself. Or straight up ignored. Because she was just IT. Nobody important. 

Across from her, Slade’s smile softened. Seemed warmer, less teasing. “Which, again, is a much more flattering situation than being made by your mark. So, do I get a name?”

“Well, you just gave me - oh! Right, you mean me. Sorry. Uh, Felicity. And if you’re a former PI, you can figure out my last name on your own, I think,” she replied. Was she being sassy or flirty? Did that seem too aggressive? Honestly, she didn’t mind if he went digging - just not digging too deep. Maybe she should just give it to him. Forehead scrunching up in frustration at herself and how flustered she was, Felicity shook her head. “I’m kidding. It’s Smoak. Felicity Smoak.”

“Well, Miss Smoak, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you.” He held out his hand then, and perhaps too quickly Felicity reached over to shake it. His tan skin was warm and slightly calloused, his fingers enveloping her slighter hand. 

_ Down, Felicity, down, girl. You have work in an hour. Cannot deal with people’s genuine problems or astounding stupidity if you’re panties are all wet. _

Oh, she was definitely having herself a bubble bath and putting that waterproof bullet to good use tonight. Was that creepy? Screw it, he was definitely flirting with her, so she was pretty sure that meant he was open to starring in some of her personal fantasies. Also she should probably respond before the pregnant pause between them turned into just an awkward silence. “Same, Mr. Wilson. Also, sorry again. For spying.” 

He waved her off, sitting back in his chair. He almost seemed too much for it. He wasn’t the tallest guy she knew, but he was broad and definitely muscular and just had a real presence that was impossible to ignore. “Quite all right. Only fair, since there were plenty of times I was watching you.”

“Wait, you were? How did I not notice that?”

“I’m rather skilled at subtly. That and the eyepatch is only for show.”

Felicity’s eyes went wide behind her glasses. “You’re kidding.”

Slade stared her dead in the eye, face blank. And then he laughed again and nodded. “I am. That eye’s been gone for years. But I have mastered the art of watching others without them noticing.”

“Part of the whole PI schtick?”   
  
Absolutely.” He was full on grinning at her now, white teeth showing. He was Smooth - again, with a capital S - and charming, and hearing him clearly, seeing him up close, Felicity’s little crush born of boredom and desperation to not be mooning over her playboy boss was definitely going to get out of hand after this little talk.

They chatted for almost an hour, until Felicity realized that if she didn’t live soon, she was going to be late for work despite its close proximity. It was killing her to put an end to things - besides being sexy as hell, Slade was genuinely just easy to talk to. And it was the closest Felicity had had to a successful date in months. Okay, maybe a year. Or two. But her perfect record was in more and more danger of becoming imperfect with every second that passed.

_ And everyone who knows you knows how important that perfect record is. Such a goody two shoes.  _

Felicity told herself to fuck off and took a breath. “I am so sorry, but, if I don’t leave I’m going to be late for my shift. It’s been wonderful actually talking to you, though. Could, um, could we do it again?”

Slade nodded, all smiles, and took her hand in his. He brought her knuckles to his lips and placed a chaste kiss on her skin. It was cliche. It was silly. It was over the top. 

It was one of the hottest things Felicity had experienced.

“I’d be delighted to, Miss Smoak.”

Oh, yeah, she wasn’t going to be able to concentrate on anything at work today. She’d be on time at least though, that counted for something, right?

* * *

The next couple of weeks were surreal for Felicity. She met with Slade often - not every single day, that would just be weird, but several days - at the coffee shop and the two just...talked. A lot. Slade would let her ramble and take up all the time they had some days, and others he’d be happy to do the talking. Felicity never felt brushed off or condescended to, and Slade didn’t mind if she ranted about how inept so many of her callers were even with computer issues she thought everybody should understand.

Even when he told her a couple of times he had no clue what she was talking about, but he loved her fire when she talked, she didn’t feel embarrassed or coddled. It was nice. It reminded her of her college years a little, just less pretentious or reckless. True, her coworkers understood her, but she and her coworkers just did not mingle. There seemed to be an unspoken rule that once the shift was over, they left everything to do with work behind them. Maybe something about not wanting to dwell on working for rich people who were stupid. Or at least, didn’t understand computers very well and thought that it was beneath them to learn or pay attention.

And it wasn’t like Felicity didn’t have any friends. She did. But none that made her feel comfortable enough to rant about the people she dealt with and how stupid they could be without worrying they might take it personally, even though she understood that there were people who didn’t get computers or other tech. But they didn’t yell at her because they didn’t think to charge their laptop or update their internet security or whatever other petty problems that were simple fixes that she deserved to be condescended to because some people couldn’t think for themselves.

Slade let her rant. About them, about people she’d dealt with during her work in IT at other jobs, about her hot, asshole boss, about settling for a job that she was overqualified for at a corporation that she didn’t feel any loyalty to, and how it was nothing like she’d wanted for herself.

Even though he didn’t quite understand everything, he was supportive all the same. And he didn’t seem to mind that she was a chatterbox who sometimes put her foot in her mouth.

And Felicity loved to listen to him talk. Sometimes she zoned out, so enthralled by his voice and accent, that she got a little lost and had to ask him to repeat, but fortunately he never minded. The more he talked, the better she got at paying attention and not being so overwhelmed by how much she really wanted to ride his face. 

Among other things.

But though Slade talked about plenty from his life and experiences he’d had, Felicity could not shake the feeling he was hiding things from her. Though maybe that was projection. Because she was definitely hiding things from him. From everyone. Even her own mother didn’t know everything that had gone down during her years at MIT.

And Slade  _ had _ told her about his old job - that was pretty damn close to being a spy for the Australian government - and how a mission had gone wrong, a partner and friend had turned on him, how he’d lost his family and needed a fresh start. Talked about being a cop for a while after he gained citizenship before he just got burnt out on working for any government agency, so he put his skills to good use as a PI instead. He’d told her a lot.

So why did she still feel like he was hiding something? Not just skirting around some things he might not want to bring up around a potential partner, but explicitly hiding something from her?

Had to be projection. 

_ Things are just going too smoothly with him. Things never go smoothly. So just ask him if he wants to hook up, and then run away. At least get a good night’s fucking out of him before you paranoia your way out of something more meaningful. _

Fine. That settled it. They were supposed to meet for coffee and a walk in the park tomorrow, she could proposition him then. Besides, guys liked direct women. And sex. And women who got right to the point of wanting sex. Even if Slade had been extremely patient and letting Felicity set the pace after instigating their initial meeting, Felicity was pretty sure if she said “Hey, want to go back to one of our places and just fuck like rabbits?” he’d be on board. She’d seen the way he looked her over, and just because she was a nerd didn’t mean she couldn’t tell when someone was obviously flirting with her. 

After that, well. She’d play it by ear. Maybe once she got laid she’d chill out. Speaking of chilling out, she needed some serious Netflix and chill with herself time, and to not just spend her night going around in circles questioning every little thing about Slade and this budding relationship.

Just as soon as Felicity settled down on the sofa, though, there was a firm, rapid knocking on her door. Because of course. It always, only ever happens after you’ve sat down and are about to get situated. Sighing and wondering who the hell had given some poor delivery guy her address to troll either her or the restaurant - because who else would be knocking on her door at this time - Felicity took a precautionary peek through the peephole out of habit.

It was Slade. What was Slade doing here? 

Felicity hesitated, swallowing down a lump that formed in her throat instinctively at the sight of him on the other side of her door. She hadn’t given him her address. Sure, she’d given her full name and told him plenty about herself and where she worked - and he was a retired private investigator, so it stood to reason he could track her down easily enough, but why? And why was he there, now?

“Miss Smoak,” Slade called from the hallway. “Felicity, it’s Slade. It’s important.”

Okay, this was a little hinky. Something about him showing up randomly at her apartment threw her off kilter. Or maybe it was the urgency in his knocking. Or the way he sounded insistent that she answer the door. Or maybe it was concern? Was she panicking over him showing up because she was panicking over how good things had been going? Worried about the other shoe dropping? 

“Fuck it,” she muttered to herself and unlocked the deadbolt and opened her door. “Slade, what- “ She didn’t get a chance to finish before she was being pushed back inside. The door slammed closed once Slade was inside with her, and he pulled her away from it and covered her mouth before she got more than a startled squeak out.

“Shh, please. I promise, I’m not going to hurt you.” His mouth brushed against her ear as he spoke softly but clearly into it. His hand remained over her mouth, the other arm wrapped around her and trapping her arms at her sides. Yeah, really convincing her that he wasn’t here to do something horrible and violent. “I wish I had more time to explain, but this one got a lot closer than I meant to let happen. Been out of the business too long. I need you to understand that someone is coming up your elevator right now, and they are going to knock on your door. And if you do what you just did with me, and check your peephole, they will shoot you through your door with a silenced pistol, and then waltz right out as though nothing happened, and someone will make them very rich off your spilled blood. This might sound ridiculous to you, but just wait.”

“Do I have a choice?” Felicity questioned him, but with his hand over her mouth, it sounded more like, “Doo eh vv shhff?”

Before she could try to say it again or bite his hand - or he could tell her to be quiet, which she felt like he was tensing up to do - the doorbell rang.

_ Oh. Oh, shit. Oh, damn. Oh, fuck. _

“Miss Felicity Smoak? I’m Natassia Zhang, your new neighbor. I just wanted to bring you a gift and introduce myself.” 

Felicity’s face scrunched up, and she tried to look at Slade. What the actual hell, though? Who brings gifts when they’re the new neighbor? Isn’t that what old neighbors do? Was that a thing in apartments? It had never been a thing any time she moved into apartments.

The doorbell rang again, and Slade whispered in her ear, “Can I trust you to give me a chance to show you I’m not lying?” He waited until Felicity nodded, slowly - she didn’t know if she believed any of this, but something in her gut told her to give him that chance - and then let go, reaching down to a bag he’d brought in with him that she’d totally missed. Probably because he hadn’t given her much opportunity to notice it. He pulled a handkerchief from it and stretched out his arm, waving it in front of the peephole.

Two muffled shots cut right through her door and the handkerchief, smashing through a picture hanging opposite the door. The glass shattered and fell, the shock of everything pulling a scream from Felicity’s throat before she could stop it.

Slade gave her a ‘seriously?’ look before shoving her down and away from the door that abruptly flew off its hinges. A white haired Asian woman rushed in and before Felicity could make out anything else the hitwoman and Slade were fighting, anime lady trying to take any opportunity she could to shoot at Felicity. 

Terrified, all Felicity could do was crawl through the kitchen and then towards her bedroom, just wanting to be out of sight from the woman and find her cell phone or the landline phone to call 911. She tried not to scream at the dampened but still terrifying sound of the gun going off, of any time she heard the woman or Slade yell or pant or groan, tried not to panic each time that Slade had lost or gotten hurt.

Felicity was through her bedroom doorway when she heard running and then the sound of more glass shattering. She looked over to see the sliding door of her balcony was smashed, a head of white hair disappearing down past the railing. She screamed and covered her mouth when she realized the sound had escaped her again.

Slade stumbled into view, limping out to the balcony and peering over the railing. “Damn it.” One hand slapped against the wrought iron before he turned and moved back inside. Every time he took a step he winced, and his other hand was pressed tight to his right side, just above the hip. Blood was seeping through his fingers.

“Oh, shit, you’re hurt,” Felicity gasped, shakily rising from her knees.

“Flesh wound. Don’t worry about it. We need to go.”

“But the police, the woman -”

“Cops won’t be able to do shit to protect you, and the woman is already gone, crashed into another apartment, probably killed the poor blokes in it, and is making her getaway to regroup and prepare for a second attempt.” Slade leaned against the wall, eyes squeezing shut as he took a few labored breaths. “I’ve got a safehouse near here,” he panted out. “We get there, get me patched up, and then you can take a look through this.” One foot kicked at something on the floor.

A cell phone.

“Wait, is that hers?”

“Yep. Managed to wrangle it from her pocket during the scuffle. Got me the bloody through and through, but should let us figure out who hired her.” Slade sagged more against the door. His skin was damp with sweat, and his natural, golden tan was paling.

“Okay, you are in no position to go anywhere,” Felicity argued, coming over to try and help him. “You look like you might keel over.”

Slade smiled but it dissolved into a grimace. “Trust me, Miss Smoak. I’ve suffered much worse and kept going. Adrenaline’s giving out, but my second wind will kick in soon. We cannot be here when the cops get here, though. I need you to understand they will only slow me down, and make you an easier target. Just help me get my bag, grab anything you need to get into the cell, and let’s go.”

Felicity wanted to argue, but she heard the sirens wailing in the distance, saw the urgency in his eyes, and remembered her previous experiences with law enforcement. “Alright, fine.” She grabbed her laptop and the cell, helped Slade over to the door, picked up his bag - which she noticed right away had a  _ lot _ of firepower - and helped him to the back elevator. 

By the time they exited the building into the complex’s garage, Slade was moving a little better and didn’t seem quite as clammy or faint. He led her to a sleek sports vehicle and unlocked it before handing her the keys. “You drive. I’ll navigate.”

“What, are you kidding me? I don’t know how to drive this thing!”

“It’s a car, Miss Smoak. And I know you can drive those. Besides, as you have been pointing out, I’m wounded. Don’t want to take a chance I pass out while driving, do you?”

“Okay. Fine. But if I crash us or get a scratch on this thing, you can’t hold me responsible.”

Slade smirked at her, that handsome, devilish, charming Cheshire grin he smiled whenever he was teasing her. “Of course not. Wouldn’t dream of it.” He tossed the bag into the back of the car and collapsed into the passenger seat, Felicity quickly moving around to get in on the driver’s side. “Just be easy. She picks up speed fast.”

“Oh, that’s reassuring,” Felicity muttered, setting her laptop in the back before putting the keys in the ignition. The sports car hummed to life, and oh, Felicity could feel the power in it as she took the wheel and pulled out of the garage. “Okay, I absolutely get the appeal, but I would get so many tickets if I owned one of these bad boys.”

Slade just chuckled beside her. His eyes were closed.

“Hey. Don’t pass out on me. You gotta get me to this safehouse, okay? Stay awake. That’s important right now, right? You need to stay away.”

“I’m flattered you’re still concerned about me after what I did,” he admitted, blinking slowly a few times until his eyes remained open. “Make a left at the light.”

“Of course I’m concerned! You saved my life, and I need you to keep my alive, I cannot get through this by myself. I can do a lot by myself, and I can get myself out of a lot by myself, but dealing with some crazy anime looking assassin by myself? Yeah, that’s not going to work out good for me. Also, again, you saved my life. Thanks, by the way. I probably should have said that earlier.” Felicity turned left at the light as instructed. “So...you deal with a lot of assassins when working as a PI?”

Slade winced, groaning through gritted teeth as he pushed himself up more in his seat so he was less reclined. “Make a right after two more intersections. And I was never a PI. I did work for the Australian government. And I did leave after a mission went wrong, and they hung me out to dry. But I didn’t move to the states right away. I was never a cop. And I was never a private investigator.” He tilted his head towards her, waiting for her to glance at him and look back at the road before he dropped the bombshell she was started to expect. “I was an assassin. Just like the woman back at your apartment.”

Okay. So. Yeah. She should have seen that coming. Maybe she was starting to suspect it before he made it explicitly clear. 

I’ve got such great taste in men.

Felicity would lament her tendency to get invested in guys who were ultimately not good for her later. Besides, at least this one was technically good for her in that he was helping her stay alive. Wait.

“...how did you know there was going to be an assassin? You knew there was a hit on me. If you aren’t a hitman anymore, how would you know that? Were you getting close to me to kill me yourself?”

“No.” The word came out harsh, firm, final. Slade reached over with his bloody hand and gripped her arm. “I lied to you and approached you under false pretenses, but not because I accepted the hit. Sometimes I take a look at offers. Sometimes retirement is too complacent. But when I saw the contract on you, I couldn’t ignore it. It went out the day before I approached you the first time, and since then I’ve killed two other assassins that tried to claim you. Knowing you were watching me, wanting to get to know you, none of that was a lie. I never planned to get close to you, because I’m not a good man, Felicity. I’ve killed people for my government, and I’ve killed people for money. I won’t sugar coat it. I won’t pretend they all deserved it. Some of them might have been right bastards, but there were plenty of others who were just digging too deep or sticking their noses where some very rich people didn’t want them to be. But all the killing...it took its toll. So I quit. But sometimes I need the challenge. I need to stay sharp. And then the contract for you came out, and for the first time, I finally decided to do the right thing, instead of the well-paying thing. You need to turn right at this light.”

There was a queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. Her vision blurred a little, but she quickly blinked and wiped it away until she could see clearly again. She turned right. “Why? Why me?”

“Because in a way, I knew you. Or maybe because you’re so young. Or because there was no way you could have done anything that earned you a death sentence. Maybe because I thought that it might make up for all the awful things I’ve done. I can’t say for sure. But the more I got to know you, the more certain I was that you didn’t deserve to die, and I couldn’t just do nothing. It felt cowardly. It felt worse than actively hunting down targets and taking them out myself.”

“How do you know I haven’t done something that made me deserve this?” Felicity questioned without looking at him. Her voice came out weak, shaky. All she could think of was Cooper, hanging in from the ceiling of his cell. All the people they’d pissed off before they’d gone too far, and Cooper had left the door open with a trail of breadcrumbs leading the feds straight to them.

“You might have some skeletons in your closet, Felicity Smoak. But none of them amount to all the ones in mine. None of them could be worthy of someone making money off your death. Make a left, and an immediate right. Three miles down is a warehouse. We’ll lay low there tonight, and head out in the morning.”

Felicity nodded. She didn’t trust herself to say anything. She didn’t think she’d be able to get out the words without breaking down and confessing everything and telling Slade she wasn’t who he thought she was. Or screaming at him that he should have stayed away, helped her from afar, not let her fall for someone so covered in blood.

_ I would get it bad for a criminal. Guess that shrink was onto something when he questioned if I have Daddy issues. _

The rest of the drive passed by in a heavy silence. Felicity followed the directions to the warehouse and then Slade’s weary instructions to pull around to the far side. She grabbed her laptop and his bag and let him grip her shoulder to steady himself once out of the car. They entered the warehouse, and Slade led her to a desk where a few monitors were set up.

“You can use this area to work on the cell if you’re ready.”

“We should take care of you first,” Felicity argued. She set her laptop down on the desk and Slade’s bag on a nearby bench. 

“Don’t worry about me. I’ve stitched myself back up many times. If you need a few minutes to clear your head, take them.” He turned from her, heading to another area of the warehouse, already taking his jacket off with a hiss of pain.

Oh, no. He was not shutting her out like that. “You need help, I don’t care how much of a badass former hitman you are or whatever macho, manly reasons you think you have to decline me helping you out, but you get over it, okay? If for no other reason than I need you to be at your best so I don’t die.”

Slade studied her. There was a tension in his shoulders that made Felicity worry he was going to argue - but with a hefty sigh, it all deflated, and he simply nodded. “All right.”

Oh, thank goodness he wasn’t going to put up more of a fight. Felicity wasn’t sure she’d be able to stop from either shouting at him, slapping him, or just crying from the weight of everything going on crashing in on her and shattering her tenuous grip on herself. Probably some combination of all three. 

He led her into a room that was half bathroom, half communal shower and collapsed onto a folding chair near the sink. “In the bench over there is a first aid kit,” he told her, gesturing where to look. Slowly and carefully he started to remove his shirt while Felicity looked in the bench and found the biggest first aid kit she’d ever seen. He was shirtless and panting from the exertion when she turned around, his right side covered in blood - some of it dried and caked onto his skin, some of it still fresh around the wound and leaking out with every pump of his heart. The wound was near his side, just above the waist of his pants.

_ Don’t think about him shirtless. Don’t ogle him. Now is not the time, and yes, the pretty distracts from the ugly of the situation, but you heard him in the car. He’s not a good person. Don’t get more attached. Don’t fall harder _ .

Felicity knelt down beside him and opened up the kit. “Okay, tell me what you need, cause I’m pretty sure neosporin and band aids aren’t going to cut it. I mean I know I should probably clean up all the blood and go from there, right?”

Slade chuckled though the sound faded into a hiss. “Wet a rag and then soak it in the antiseptic. Use that to clean. We’ll go from there.”

So Felicity did exactly as he said. Just like driving his car and following his directions, she cleaned and tended to the wound, back and front, following his instructions. She focused on the task and ignored the overwhelming smell of blood, the sight of exposed flesh in the almost perfectly round wound, the way blood still was pumping out even if it was slowing down. She just cleaned, tended, bandaged up tight, ignored the gore of his injury, ignored the violence her life had descended into. Ignored the guilt resurfacing like an old wound reopening, ignored the resentment building up towards Slade for making her see him as more than a hot silver fox she could watch from afar. Ignored the eyeful of him there, coated in a thin sheen of sweat, shirtless and a mess from the fight. Ignored her shaky nerves desperate for something to steady them, and how badly she wanted to just crawl up into his lap and kiss him.

He was watching her though, through every step of it. Watching her now, as they finished, and she slowly stood up and moved to the sink to wash her hands. He reached out, his right hand still covered in rusty red, and touched her shaking arm closest to him. “You did good, Felicity. Back there, and here. You got out of her sight, got me out of there, got us here. Did a bang up patch up job. You don’t have to pretend you’re fine, though. It’s a lot to take in.”

“I’m not pretending,” she got out before choking back an unwelcome sob. She leaned into the counter, feeling woozy, as it all finally crashed down. She didn’t want to cry though - she didn’t want to feel guilty or like she deserved it, and she didn’t want to lie down and roll over and accept her fate, and she didn’t want to pretend she was just some IT tech who’d always lived a boring life and never made huge mistakes and giant fuck ups that cost her too much. So instead she gave into the need for comfort and something good, something to ground herself. She moved over to Slade, straddled him, and kissed him. Her hands grabbed hold of his face and held on for dear life. A moan tore itself from her throat when he responded in kind, kissing back and wrapping his arms around her to hold her close.

It was all too much, she just needed a little time, needed something that was real and solid and good before she faced all the awfulness that was wreaking havoc on the quiet, boring life she’d made for herself.

“Felicity-“ Slade groaned, but she pressed her hand over his mouth.

“Don’t. If you’re about to say we shouldn’t do this, or I don’t know what I’m getting into, or we don’t have time, just keep it to yourself. We’ve got time. You called this a safe house, where we could lay low for the night. I’ll hack the phone and find out all of its secrets, but right now, I need  _ this.  _ Okay?”

Slade studied her with his one eye, the pupil dilated. “You’re right,” he finally stated once her fingers moved from his mouth, and he pulled her down for another kiss.

At some point they stumbled back out to the main area, over to the cot he had set up. It was cramped, the mattress thin, but all Felicity was really aware of was Slade and how good she felt. How much she craved and needed, and how he gave her everything.

It was reckless and stupid of her. Maybe selfish. Probably foolish. But she needed something to ground her to reality, to the present, to keep her from spiraling down a dark pit of panic and shame and uncertainty. Maybe she was worried Slade would slip up next time, or the white-haired woman would bring back up. Maybe she wanted this before they made it through and it hit her what kind of person Slade was. Or he found out what kind of person she’d been. And neither of them wanted it anymore, couldn’t bear the very thought of it. 

Or maybe she didn’t need a reason, didn’t have to justify it.

Afterwards, when Slade’s breathing had evened out, and her pulse wasn’t racing, she didn’t regret it. 

For a long time they both laid there, cramped and nestled together. Felicity’s head rested against his chest, and Slade’s fingers stroked up and down her spine. Every sound from outside made her tense, but he never reacted, just kept rubbing her back in that soothing, repetitive motion, and told her those noises were normal, and there were alarms set up everywhere.

“We’re safe here tonight,” he whispered against the crown of her head. “Get some rest. We’ll find out our hitwoman friend’s secrets after some sleep.”

Felicity started to tell him she wasn’t going to be getting any sleep for a while, but a yawn cut her off. By the time she remembered to try again, she was half dozing in his arms, and just decided not to bother. The comforting obliviousness of sleep soon took her completely.

* * *

The smell of coffee and eggs slowly pulled Felicity from her deep and blissfully dreamless slumber. Part of her wanted to stay in that comforting cocoon of blackness and ignore everything, but her stomach rumbled loudly as if to tell her to get up already. Groaning, Felicity rolled onto her back and lazily blinked until she adjusted to the morning light.

“Time is it?” she mumbled while rubbing the last crumbs of sleep from her eyes.

“Almost nine,” Slade informed her. When she finally focused her vision and looked around, he was getting up from a chair at the monitor station desk and bringing a mug and plate over to her. “You passed out pretty quickly last night. Hope you slept as well as it seemed.” He held the plate and mug out to her once she was sitting up in the cot. “The eggs are kosher. I made sure.”

Felicity looked up at him, surprised that he remembered when she’d only mentioned once that she was Jewish. Maybe it’d come up when he looked into her or something. There was no reason for her to feel touched that he put in the effort to make sure breakfast while in hiding was something she could actually eat. Or get paranoid over that he’d been stalking her for longer than he’d admitted. Both were valid. She needed to stop giving the confessed killer the benefit of the doubt and definitely needed to stop immediately going to ‘oh, he’s a keeper’ lines of thought. 

“Thank you.” She eagerly took the offered food and drink, taking a quick swig of the coffee before setting it down on the floor so she could dig into the eggs before her stomach growled at her again. The warm food brought an instant sense of comfort and relief, and Felicity made a happy, little sound before mumbling another ‘thanks’ between mouthfuls. 

Slade chuckled softly. “You’re welcome.” He looked a lot better, though he still moved carefully when he went back to the desk. 

The rest of breakfast passed in silence, but Felicity felt a little more like a person and not a panicked deer trapped in flight mode after the good fuck, the better sleep, and the thoughtful breakfast. She felt a little bashful getting out of bed - she slept completely naked, and something about being so exposed in the light of day made her feel self conscious - but Slade politely didn’t look over until she was dressed. Grabbing up the mug, she started nursing the coffee as she padded over to open up her laptop. 

“So. Hacking time. Mind if I sit here?”

Slade shook his head and stood to let her have his seat. “Go right ahead. I’ve been keeping an eye on the perimeter and listening in on the police scanner. So far no sign of our white-haired friend from last night. The cops are looking for you. Once you get the information off of there that I need, you can go to them if you want. Or stay here. It’s your choice. I’m not going to let her get close to you again, and once we know who put the hit out, I can take care of them too.”

Felicity swallowed and let that sink in. 

He was going to kill for her. He was going to kill people to protect her. People were going to die. Because of her.

Suddenly the eggs in her stomach weren’t settling so well.

“Does it have to be that way? What if...what if I really did wrong this person?” What if Cooper’s family had found out the truth? What if it was them sending the assassin after her? Maybe they had every right to. Not that she really believed she deserved to die, and she knew deep down that Cooper made his choices. But the weight of his death still felt so heavy on her shoulders, and she couldn’t imagine how it must be for his family, no matter how estranged he might have been from them.

“Felicity.” Slade crouched down. His eye twitched a little, but otherwise he showed no sign of any pain. “I’ve killed a lot of people for much less justifiable reasons. And I know that whatever it is that’s eating away at you, it isn’t enough to give you a death wish. So it isn’t bad enough to justify anyone’s reasons for putting a hit out on you. This is only going to end one way. People die. So tell me. Do you want to live?”

“Yes.” The word came out heavy and strained, but it came fast. Certain. She might have a few skeletons in her closet or a lot of guilt on her shoulders, but Felicity didn’t want to die. Sure, her job could drive her crazy, and sometimes the people on the other end made her lose her faith in humanity. Sure, she’d done some fucked up things for a myriad of reasons that ranged from selfish to selfless. But Myron had told her once, turning herself in meant Cooper died for nothing. If she just gave up, and let some hitwoman take her out and cash a check, wasn’t that the same thing? And damn it, maybe she wanted to live for herself. 

She didn’t deserve to die. Cooper hadn’t either, but that had been his choice, and maybe he’d felt like he didn’t have any other options, but that wasn’t her fault. She’d tried to help him, tried to stop him.

And maybe her life wasn’t much. And maybe she couldn’t stand her mother. And maybe her dad had abandoned her. But she had friends, she had a job, she had a cute, little apartment that probably needed a lot of repair work right now. She had just as much right to survive as anyone else. She’d never set out to hurt people, not people who couldn’t afford to bounce back - or shouldn’t be able to bounce back but would because they could afford it.

So yeah. Fuck yeah. She wanted to live.

Slade nodded. “Then it’s settled. They die. Not you.”

“Okay. Yeah.” Felicity nodded, her stomach settled for now though the queasy feeling wasn’t completely gone. But she focused on the cell and her laptop and got to work. And oh, it was fun. She hadn’t had a real challenge like this in a while. The hitwoman had protected her phone exceptionally well, and the encryption she was having to get through was top notch. But Felicity was better. Just took some time and concentration.

Eventually she got through the encrypted data and finally opened up all the cell phone’s secrets. Felicity went searched meticulously - seeing a lot of very illegal goings ons besides just her contract, but she’d take a look at that later - and then found messages sent between the assassin and the client.

Seeing them discuss her and her death like a simple transaction made that queasy feeling come back even stronger, but she swallowed back the urge and zeroed in on the client. If they didn’t know what they were doing, she could probably track everything back to them and find out who they were within a half hour.

A screen popped up on her laptop, a video call that automatically was answered. “Hello, Felicity.”

No. It wasn’t possible. 

_ He’s dead. _

Except there he was. On her laptop screen. Staring at her with a smug smile stretched across his face. He was older now, something meaner in his eyes, but Felicity knew without a doubt it was him.

“Cooper?”

“I must say, I’m impressed. When I found out you were working for Queen Consolidated, I thought maybe you’d lost your touch, gotten complacent in the years since my “death”,” he stated, hands lifting up to offer air quotes to that last word. “But you’re still sharp as ever. When I realized you must be using White’s cell to find me, I figured I would beat you to the punch.”

To her side, Slade remained silent and impassive - and just out of frame.

“How?” Confusion short-circuited her brain. Felicity had no idea what was happening. How was this possible? Cooper was alive?  _ Cooper _ had hired the assassin? When he’d taken the fall for everything? “ _ Why _ ?”

“I took the fall for you, Felicity Smoak. Had to fake my death and take a plea deal working for the government - the very people we were rebelling against - so I didn’t spend the rest of my life in jail. And for what? So you can live a comfortably boring life, working for rich, fat cats? Helping them keep going and get richer and ignoring all the corruption going on in that company and everywhere else?” Cooper sneered at her, shaking his head. “You disappointed me, Felicity. But is that reason enough to have you killed? No. But the fact that you might figure out how to stop the viral takedown I have planned for Queen Consolidated and ruin all my plans for that company, and others like it? Now that. That was reason enough. I would say I’m sorry it had to be this way, but I can’t stand this perky, plastic persona you’ve adopted. Tell your friend that stopped White I’m impressed. But I didn’t hire China White because she’s the best. I hired her because she’s got her own army. They’ll find you soon.”

“Fuck you, Cooper,” Felicity spat at the screen before slamming it shut. She took several deep, shuddering breaths, feeling her blood boil through her body, heart racing so fast and hard it hammered away in her ears.

“I’m guessing that was the skeleton you thought was still in your closet,” Slade stated softly. He put a hand on her shoulder and gently squeezed, grounding her. “We need to move.”

“You’re right.” Felicity nodded. She needed time to process, but they didn’t have much time to spare at this location anymore. Doubtless Cooper had traced them while he was monologuing like a supervillain ex-boyfriend. She closed her eyes and breathed in deep, deeper than before, holding it for several seconds before letting it out in a rush. “I’m all in.”

Slade didn’t say anything, merely nodded when she looked up at him. He smashed the phone, helped Felicity remove the harddrive from her laptop, and then smashed his own computer. “We should grab the first aid kit. No reason to let that go to waste.” When Felicity nodded and moved to retrieve it, he gently took hold of her hand and pulled her close. “We’re going to get through this. You’ll live, Felicity. I promise you that. There is nothing I won’t do for those I care about.”

She wasn’t in love. To be honest, after this revelation, Felicity wasn’t sure her fragile belief in love would ever recover. But something about that promise, that loyalty, got through the shock, the anger, the hurt. She believed him. She trusted him. She genuinely had faith that he would help her see this through to the end and out to the other side, alive even if not entirely unscathed. Maybe they wouldn’t ride off into the sunset together, but Felicity had a feeling that even when it was all over, Slade would still be there for her if she ever needed someone.

And honestly, she could be happy with that. 


End file.
